WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama encouraged all Americans Tuesday to take "common-sense" steps in preparation for an expected resurgence in the H1N1 virus this fall.

Among other things, he said, people should wash their hands frequently and stay home from work if they are ill.

"I know it sounds simple, but it's important and it works" he said at the White House.

"I don't want anybody to be alarmed. But I do want (people) to be prepared."

The president said hospitals need to prepare for an unusually large influx of patients. While the federal government is doing everything possible to prepare for a new H1N1 outbreak, there will likely be "issues coming up over the next several months," he said. The way the virus is "moving is still unpredictable."

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The nation's secretary of health and human services said Thursday that some vaccine to fight the H1N1 virus should be available for distribution in mid-October.

Kathleen Sebelius' announcement came at the opening of a "flu summit" called for by the Obama administration. She spoke to a seminar of governors, top health planners and managers who have gathered to discuss preparations for a possible swine flu reappearance this fall.

Health care workers hope to evaluate a candidate vaccine in early August, said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who also spoke at the meeting.